Chapter Five “ Possibilities
Albus turned around and was slightly surprised to see Sarah Holmes, James’s fiancée, standing behind him. He knew she was an Unspeakable, but had certainly not expected to Apparate directly to her department and find her waiting for them. Seeing her caused a slight pang as he thought about his brother’s wedding in the spring; he felt guilty for resenting their happiness, though he loved her like a sister already.
Standing beside her was a short man who looked familiar. He was ancient: his white hair and beard were cut short, but his face was lined with wrinkles and he came toward them with a slow step, slightly stooped. His blue eyes twinkled with intelligence and wit, however, as Albus struggled to place him.
“Hi, Albus,” said Sarah, her blond hair pulled back into a long braid. When she smiled at him, Albus was immediately reminded of how much he liked her: she radiated compassion, setting everyone she met at ease with her warm brown eyes and honest face. She greeted him with an affectionate hug, and Albus couldn’t help but grin when his brother held up his hands, looking for his own embrace.
“Hi, James,” she added, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek before turning to the man beside her. “This is Aldred Dumbledore, our Chief Unspeakable. He’ll be helping you tonight, as it is quite out of my authorization to even talk about where you are going.”
“Dumbledore!” Albus exclaimed, and James looked equally surprised and impressed. That was why the man had looked so familiar: Albus Dumbledore had died long before he had been born, but Albus had seen enough portraits to recognize the resemblance to the late Headmaster of Hogwarts. “I was named for a Dumbledore.”
“I know,” replied the Unspeakable, offering his hand. Albus took it and found the older man’s grip to still be strong. “You were named for my cousin “ a great honor for him, to be sure.”
“Aldred is actually my. . . “ Sarah ticked off numbers on her fingers, “. . . great, great, great, great uncle. He’s doing me a big favor by taking you in.” She seemed slightly uncomfortable, but her uncle patted her arm and smiled.
“I’m happy to help, dear,” he said, taking James’s hand. “We’ve let very few people into the Realm from outside the department, actually. It’s still unpredictable, even though we’ve been working on it for over ten years. Not everyone can handle what they find. Yet I understand from Sarah that this is exactly the sort of thing we should use it for.” He looked pointedly at Albus, who swallowed nervously.
“I don’t understand,” he said, glancing between the three of them. “Why did we Apparate directly here? Why not use the main entrance? And what’s the Realm?”
“There have been a few break-ins over the last several weeks,” answered Sarah, glancing sideways at the older man; Albus sensed she was definitely not telling them everything. “And access to the Department of Mysteries in particular has been strictly limited to Ministry personnel only. As for the Realm”I’ll let Aldred explain that.”
Aldred Dumbledore continued with a gracious nod to his niece. “The Realm of Possibility was discovered not long after your father wreaked a bit of havoc in the Hall of Prophecy “ which, by the way, I was in charge of for a good many years. Not that I minded, of course,” he added, no doubt noticing the look of chagrin on Albus’s face. “Your father did what he had to do. But a large number of prophecies were destroyed, and as the years went by, less and less were made. So we began to focus our research on other methods of predicting the future.”
“The future.” Albus heard the deadness in his voice. He suddenly understood why he was there, and felt angry and betrayed. “I don’t need to see my future, I don’t want to see my future!” He whirled on James. “Is that why you brought me here? To show me what my life is going to be like without Marcum?”
James looked both embarrassed and frightened of his brother’s reaction. “I told you, Al “ it was Marcum’s idea. ‘Show him what to live for’ he said. And he’s right “ you’ve done nothing since you came home, it’s like you don’t care about anything anymore. Maybe this will help”“
“Maybe I don’t want help,” Albus snapped.
“Al,” Sarah said softly. “Please listen. You’re being offered an amazing gift.”
Albus whirled on her. “Then I’m returning it. I’m not interested.”
Dumbledore coughed, breaking the tension. “She’s quite right, but first let me continue and see if I can’t change your mind. The Realm of Possibilities is exactly that: a place where you can see the possibilities of your future. It is obviously impossible to reliably predict what will happen at tomorrow’s staff meeting let alone next year’s Quidditch final, but the Realm of Possibilities narrows down what may or may not happen to you and you alone: no one can enter the Realm to see someone else’s future possibilities. Only you may cast the spell and receive a glimpse of what may happen”should you choose that path.”
The Ravenclaw in him was curious: how did such a spell work? And what would he see? Would he see something beside the empty future he felt now? What if he did? Would he betray Marcum’s memory by living out his future in happiness?
As if reading his mind, Dumbledore offered softly, “Do not let fear hold you back, for you are ultimately in control of your destiny. And do not let the dead hold you back either, for they are not.”
Albus turned away and blew out a long breath. He was reluctant to admit it, but he wanted to go. Perhaps there was something in his future worth living for. Anything would be better than the dull existence he had endured since he had returned home. A small part of him wondered if there might be a future where he would be reunited with Marcum after all.
With a curt nod, Albus agreed to go. Aldred Dumbledore smiled and clapped him on the shoulder. “Good for you, my boy,” he said. “You have already taken the first step. Follow me.”
They followed the old man through a large black door into a strange circular room. Albus had heard many stories about the Department of Mysteries, but had never had reason or opportunity to visit the ninth level when he worked at the Ministry. He found himself intrigued by the glossy floor, the twelve dark doors, and the odd blue light coming from the sconces on the wall. He took a breath to settle himself as the floor began to turn; or perhaps they were still and the walls were moving, he was not sure. At last the room stopped revolving and Dumbledore lead them into a large room filled with sparkling light.
“This is the Time Room,” he said conversationally. “I began my studies here before moving into the Hall of Prophecy.” Albus gazed around in wonder at the myriad of clocks as they slowly made their way down a narrow passageway toward a second door. James seemed equally interested behind him.
“And here is where you father found his prophecy,” continued Dumbledore, pushing open a second door and leading them into a cavernous chamber. There were several large shelves to the right, each of which held hundreds of glowing orbs; to the left were row upon row of empty shelves, dark and dusty. “This is the Hall of Prophecy, although you will see that the number of prophecies is really quite limited now a days”we used to have thousands.”
Albus stopped and stared at the shelves: this was where his father had come to save Sirius Black, believing his godfather had been captured and tortured. This was where he had found the prophecy about Lord Voldemort, where he and his friends had fought the Death Eaters for it “only to lose it in the end.
“This is amazing,” James murmured softly beside him. “It’s like walking through a piece of family history.”
The old Unspeakable chuckled and motioned them to continue through a third door. They crossed the threshold and Albus stopped cold, awestruck by the site before him. He was standing upon a tall cliff, gazing out upon a valley teeming with color: verdant green grass, deep blue lakes, crisp white clouds floating across a sunset sparkling with reds, oranges, and gold. It took his breath away, to find such beauty so deep below the Ministry; the rational part of his mind recognized that magic was at work, but his heart responded to the visceral beauty of the scene nonetheless.
“Yes, it’s quite remarkable, isn’t it?” murmured Aldred Dumbledore, hands folded behind his back as he too gazed at the scene in wonder. “I am struck by the infinite splendor of the universe each time I enter. Now.” He turned to Albus, a serious look on his face. “The spell is complex and may take several tries; there are Unspeakables who have yet to succeed in casting it. Do you have your wand?”
“I do,” interjected James, taking Albus’s wand from his cloak and handing it to his brother. Dumbledore merely raised his eyebrows and nodded; Albus wasn’t sure whether to be grateful the trip wasn’t a waste, or irritated that his brother had gone into his room and taken his wand. He idly wondered what had happened to the Elder Wand.
“Good. This room was created with a bit of help from Muggle science. We, of course, did the decorating,” he winked. “We also created the spell that activates the room’s powers. The curious thing, however, is that the spell responds differently to each person. I have no idea how the room will present your future, but it will be unique unto you. Just remember that it is safe, and that ultimately your destiny is yours to determine: you are simply being shown some choices.”
“Have you tried it?” Albus asked quietly, still staring around him in amazement.
“Naturally,” Dumbledore replied. “The spell is mine. Are you ready, then?
Albus nodded; what did he have to lose, if he had already lost hope?
“Then repeat after me, without your wand: Ostende mea fortuna!”
“Reveal my destiny,” murmured Albus. He tried it out on his tongue, and felt a strange power coalesce around him with the three simple words, far more than if casting a spell anywhere else.
“Good. You feel the room’s magic, do you not? And now the wand motion.” Dumbledore demonstrated a complicated twist that ended with his wand pointing straight up into the sky; after several tries, Albus felt he had it well enough to attempt the spell.
“And now we must go, as you alone must cast the spell without the interference of others. I wish you luck, Albus Potter, and hope that you discover what you seek.” He bowed and indicated to the others that they needed leave; both James and Sarah seemed reluctant, however.
Albus couldn’t help but smile at the worried look on their faces. “I’ll be fine,” he reassured them. Sarah hugged him once more, but James only nodded, his face still serious. “I’ll be right outside,” he said. “Be careful.”
“I will.” Albus turned back to the spectacular view, feeling oddly free. He heard the door shut behind him and turned to find it had blended into the mountain behind him. He went to the edge of the cliff and looked down; reckless exhilaration filled him, and he sat on the rocks, letting his legs dangle over the edge.
He sensed a great peace here, and wondered what it was about the magic in the room that freed a person’s soul. Albus contemplated not even using the spell he had been given; but the darkness at the edge of his mind lingered, however distant it might be at the moment, and he knew he had to try if he were to be truly free of it. He pulled out his wand and studied it: birch, ten inches, with a single unicorn hair. He almost wished James had left it at home; it had been a good wand, yet now it felt tainted by the things he had done with it.
Albus hesitated; whereas moments before he had been worried that his future might actually show him happiness, now he wondered if the wand were warped, and if it would show him a future too terrible to face.
Or what if it showed him nothing at all?
Calling upon his Gryffindor heritage, Albus stood and raised his wand to the sky. “Ostende mea fortuna!” he cried, his heart pounding. He felt the room’s magic begin to swirl around him, as if an enormous vortex of energy were gathering him in its power. He sensed an immense force behind him, and stood to face his future.
* * *
Lost by Gmariam
Chapter Endnotes: Thank you once again to my wonderful beta, laceymoibella! And thank you to Karaley Dargen for her help with the spell in the Hospital Wing. The next chapter will be a bit longer, I think: Albus has a lot to see and explore in the Realm of Possibilities before we conclude this tale.